Former Golesh QB Recruit Flips to Auburn

Three-star quarterback recruit Rhys Brush flipped his commitment from USF to Auburn today, choosing to sign with the Tigers and follow Alex Goelsh to The Plains. The signal caller from Armwood in Seffner, Fla., is the No. 75 quarterback recruit in the country and the No. 152 recruit in Florida according to 247Sports, and No. 81 and No. 152 in those categories according to Rivals.

The addition of Brush was part of a flurry of late activity by the Tigers on National Signing Day, which catapulted Auburn from the worst 2026 recruiting class in the SEC and outside the top 80 nationally to No. 14 in the SEC and No. 35 in the country at the time of writing.

Brush immediately filled a void in the class by replacing four-star quarterback recruit Peyton Falzone, who decommitted from Auburn on Dec.1 following the hiring of Golesh. Falzone signed with Penn State on National Signing Day, one of just two players currently committed to the Nittany Lions in the 2026 class.

Though Brush is rated over 1000 spots lower in 247 Sports’ overall rankings than Falzone, Auburn fans shouldn’t panic over the perceived downgrade. Both players were multi-sport athletes in high school, with Brush playing baseball and Falzone swimming and sprinting. Both are solid athletes with similar athletic profiles, though Falzone does have a higher top-end speed. 

Additionally, stars don’t always mean everything, especially in Florida’s ultra-competitive high school football landscape. In fact, Auburn has players on its own roster who are prime examples of that, in Elijah Melendez and Kensley Louidor-Faustin, both of whom were three-star recruits from Florida.

Furthermore, Brush already has better mechanics for the position than Falzone, despite being slightly less accurate. Falzone often stunts his arm motion on tape, not fully completing the throwing process. By contrast, Brush has a smooth, though slightly long, throwing motion over the shoulder that looks clean and complete. Brush’s baseball background has also given him an edge in his footwork, which, though comparable to Falzone on tape, I would grade as slightly cleaner at this point in their careers.

Of course, it is impossible to know how either player will pan out, and either would be expected to sit behind both Ashton Daniels and former five-star recruit Deuce Knight if Golesh’s staff can keep the freshman phenom in Auburn. Though in an age where talent changes hands so frequently, it is reassuring to have a solid backup plan to the backup plan, and Brush can definitely provide both that and intriguing upside for the future.

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